Hotel Highlights

Airy, open rooms

Secluded setting

Panoramic sea views

Overview

RUNNER-UP: SEXIEST BEDROOM IN THE WORLD – SMITH HOTEL AWARDS 2013

In-the-know island hoppers might be in on Secret Bay hotel on Dominica, but this intimate resort perched on a tropical hillside that hangs over the cerulean Caribbean feels secluded and largely undiscovered – just like a true retreat should. With its five secluded tree-house-style villas and bungalows, this romantic hideaway rounds out the island luxury experience with at-your-service personal chefs and two nearby beaches for kayaking and toe-dipping strolls.

Smith Extra

Here's what you get for booking Secret Bay with us:

Herbal iced tea for all Smith members. Fresh fruit basket for SilverSmiths and 10 per cent off massage treatments for GoldSmiths.

Our favourite rooms

Private and luxurious, the Zabuco Honeymoon Villa puts a refined-jungle spin on your romance. Zabuco, another name for the Bwa Bande tree, is well known in Dominica as an aphrodisiac. And, after luxuriating in this two-storey Guyanese Greenheart-wood tree house, we can confirm that there’s something in the name. Spy the sea right from the king-size bed… or from the soaking tub for two… or from your private infinity pool. Perhaps you’d prefer the angle from your hammock with a glass of wine in hand from your smartly-stocked wine fridge? The options, like the views, seem endless.

Packing tips

No need to lug snorkel kits or yoga mats. The resort has all sorts of adventuring gear at the ready for everything from snorkeling and paddle boarding to biking and yoga.

Also

All rooms are non-smoking.

Children

Those over 12 are welcome, and the two-bedroom villas can accommodate two children.

Eco&dash;friendly

Green and sustainable practices are used whenever possible. The villas and bungalows were constructed with sustainably sourced Guyanese hardwood, a water-saving drip irrigation system is in place and low energy lighting and appliances are in use throughout the resort.

Food & Drink

◐View Gallery

Hotel Restaurant

There is no restaurant at the resort, but each bungalow or villa has a full kitchen – have your pantry pre-stocked if you'd prefer to play chef. Otherwise, request a personal cook to deliver up to two meals a day, such as fresh-squeezed mango juice and homemade baked breads for breakfast and just-snagged Mahi-Mahi, crisp salad and yam pie for dinner. You can forage for fresh herbs in the gardens and pluck guava, pineapples and coconuts from the surrounding trees, too.

Hotel Bar

Re-fuel with fruit smoothies and fresh-squeezed juice at the Souce Shack, a casual outdoor bar on the sandy shores of Tibay Beach, a five-minute saunter from the resort. Orders from the bar can also be delivered to your room.

Room service

Not as such, but you can order bountiful baskets with a three-day supply of fresh fruits and veggies, tropical juices, homemade Secret Bay granola, baked goods and local jams and jellies. Meals ordered from the chef will also be delivered to your room.

Smith Insider

Dress code

Seek shade beneath a broad-brimmed hat and cover up with a tropical-print sarong when mid-day temperatures soar.

Top table

Local Guide

Worth getting out of bed for

Blanketed in lush jungle and diverse flora, marked by volcanic peaks and lava craters – including the second-largest thermally active lake in the world – and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, Dominica is a nature-lover’s paradise. In fact, it’s known as ‘The Nature Island,’ making it a prime destination for hikers, birders, paddlers and divers. Glide along the Indian River in a traditional Caribe boat like a true islander or plunge into the colourful depths for some of the world’s most pristine scuba diving. The concierge will arrange trips with local guides for every outdoor pursuit from horseback riding to remote hiking on the over 300 miles of trails, deep-sea fishing and sailing excursions.

Local restaurants

Island life and culture is all about slowing down to maximise time spent relaxing and enjoying the natural surroundings. This extends to the beachy, fish-shack-style restaurant scene as well. Sip lime or rum punch and dine on grilled catch-of-the-day with traditional Caribe sides like fresh salad and plantains at Monty’s Fish and Grill Bar. This open-air beachy spot is near Purple Turtle Beach in Portsmouth, about a 10-minute drive from the resort. Just north of Portsmouth in the village of Picard is Comfortel De Champ, a colonial-style hotel with a bar deck that’s more about the happy hour cocktails and postcard-perfect views, but does have a standard bar menu of burgers and tacos to help balance out those potent fruity concoctions that seems to go down all too easily.

Secret Bay

Located on the picturesque northwest coast of Dominica, this secluded resort is a 10-minute drive to the town of Portsmouth.

Planes

There are no non-stop flights from the US or UK. Melville Hall Airport services connecting flights on LIAT and Seaborne Airlines, and the airport is a one-hour drive from the resort.

Automobiles

It’s necessary to have a car in order to explore the island beyond the resort. Avis (www.avis.com) is a reputable car-hire option. Roads are paved and smooth, but not brightly lit at night. If you’d rather leave the driving to someone else, the resort has a car with driver available for day excursions.

Reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith.

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this eco-boutique hotel in Dominica and unpacked their coconuts and flavoured rum, a full account of their luxury island break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick postcard from Secret B…

Secret Bay

By Mr & Mrs Smith.

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this eco-boutique hotel in Dominica and unpacked their coconuts and flavoured rum, a full account of their luxury island break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick postcard from Secret Bay in Dominica…

It’s not often that you deliberately lose your way and veer so far off regimented schedules and the beaten path that you can barely pinpoint your own location on a map. If we had our way, though, this would happen with greater frequency (especially if a few afternoon rounds of flavored rum punch are involved). And Secret Bay hotel – an eco-luxury resort tucked deep among groves of fruit trees and tropical, prehistoric-looking fronds in the lush jungle of Dominica in the Lesser Antilles – is the ultimate spot for dropping off the grid. The six airy bungalows and villas – modern, open-plan two-storey tree houses of rich, dark wood – each have hushed gardens, enticing hammocks and expansive Caribbean sea views... Talk about your very own, private slice of paradise.

Begin the day with a private yoga session or meditate on your private deck. Power up with a fresh fruit smoothie and stroll down to the beach to swim with the colourful native fish through caves and ethereal underwater realms. Paddle out in a kayak to follow clear, gently flowing rivers and claim empty white sand beaches for yourself. Saunter back for a massage on your secluded deck and slip into happy hour. With a daily routine like this, you'll come around to getting lost pretty quickly. If you decide not to find your way back, your secret’s safe with us…

The Guestbook

Reviews of Secret Bay from Smith members

Whenever you book a stay through us, we’ll invite you to comment when you get back. Read the Guestbook entries below to see what real-life Mr & Mrs Smiths have said about this hotel…

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Price information

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